Orthopaedic prostheses are commonly used to replace at least a portion of a patient's bone following traumatic injury or deterioration due to aging, illness, or disease, for example.
When the orthopaedic prosthesis is implanted into a joint, the orthopaedic prosthesis may be configured to articulate with an adjacent orthopaedic component. For example, when the orthopaedic prosthesis is implanted into the patient's hip joint, the orthopaedic prosthesis may be socket-shaped to receive and articulate with an adjacent femoral component.
The orthopaedic prosthesis may be at least partially porous to promote ingrowth of the patient's surrounding bone and/or soft tissue, which may enhance the fixation between the orthopaedic prosthesis and the patient's surrounding bone and/or soft tissue. Although porous polymers may be used in certain circumstances, porous metals provide additional strength and stability to the orthopaedic prosthesis.